We decided to put up ourChristmas tree and decorations yesterday…but before I could start…I had to clean. The thought of putting up decorations on top of dirty, dusty surfaces is icky. (Am I alone in this?)
One particularly onerous cleaning chore I had to tackle (that I had put off for FAR too long) was the ceiling fans. :-(
I don’t know why I am such a procrastinator when it comes to those fans…but I am. Maybe because it involves dragging out the ladder or maybe it’s because no one really looks up there (yeah right! wishful thinking.) But alas, I HAVE procrastinated and they were in pretty sad shape.
As crazy as it sounds though…I was actually kind of excited to clean them this particular time because of a super secret ceiling fancleaning method I had discovered that may have just changed my life forever!
Here is the secret…..but you have to promise not to tell ANYONE! This is just between you and me!
This is what you do:
Slide blades, one at a time, into a pillowcase and wipe! All the dusty gunk stays inside!
Then shake out the case outside and throw it in the wash!
Tada! Incredible, right? Remember, it’s our little secret.
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| simplystated.realsimple.com |
Of course I jest! This picture has been posted and reposted so many times on Pinterest I’ve lost count. It is apparently a very POPULAR idea! A very popular BRILLIANT idea! A very popular brilliant idea that WORKS! (And those are the very best kind!)
Here is how it worked at my house:
(Once again I must ask you to not judge me too harshly since I am only showing you my NASTY ceiling fans in the name of household science.)
(One good thing about the fans being SO dirty is that it makes the BEFORE and AFTER pictures more dramatic!) ;-)
This literally took seconds to do each blade! Total time for 5 blades…LESS than 5 minutes total! So basically I had been putting off for MONTHS what it took LESS THAN 5 minutes to do!
I put some fabric softner sheets inside the pillow case…..added bonus the blades don't collect the dust as fast!!!!
Debbie! This is EXACTLY why I LOVE the comments section of my blog!! What a GREAT suggestion! thanks for sharing!
Funny!! You made my so boring day!! And that before pic looks like my fan after work I am going to try and make my fan look like the after pic…Thanks for the motivation!
v….maybe it will take two or three pillowcases….soaked in a good de-greaser?? :-)
Anony…you are welcome! Thank YOU for the reminder! I really need to do the bedroom fan!
Thanks so much for this suggestion! My husband was changing the lightbulbs the other day and I said, "Wait! I have a new way to clean the blades!" He did it in like 5 minutes tops and was WAY less messy than previous attempts. Keep up the great work!
Oh, I wish I had found this 2 weeks ago! My arm killed me the day after I spent over an hour cleaning all the fans in my house! You better believe I'm gonna remember this in the future!
Hahahaa! Mine are on all the time too! I thought I was the only one who did that~
I am SO DOING THIS TODAY! You are correct – brilliant! :)
This post is very funny, because it is so me. Mine stay gunked up, but my theory is that as long as the fans are moving, no one will notice, so they stay on all the time. LOL. Thanks for the super duper secret pillow case idea. If I ever get around to cleaning the blades, I’ll use it. :-)
So funny I do the same thing!! time to clean!!
I’m SOOOO trying this tonight. With the warmer weather, I need to use our fans but am afraid it will shower us with dust if I do. Thanks for the idea!
This is a “FAN”-tastic idea (sorry, I couldn’t resist)! I just did all 3 fans in the house in 5 minutes flat! Posted BEFORE and AFTER’s on my Facebook so all my family and friends would see how awesome it works! Used the following disclaimer on the BEFORE pics:
Don’t judge. If yours haven’t looked like this you either have too much time on your hands (get a hobby) or you spend too much time cleaning and not enough time enjoying life.
Great blog! Keep those ideas coming and thanks so much for sharing!!
I don’t think that having a clean house means you have too much time or don’t enjoy life. My house is clean and I have a routine that tackles everything part of my house that I go through every month. I am blessed to have what I do so I take care of the things I have…house included. I still find time to read, bake lots, knit, play with my kids, mentor a friend, have weekly coffee dates with friends and weekly dates with my husband. Time management is key.
Love the pillow case idea and will try it Oct 29th when it is time to clean the ceiling fans.
I think she was just being silly. :)
ya, I don’t think you should’ve taken it personally. :P
I didn’t see “work full time” in your list of tasks….that adds an entirely different dynamic to house cleaning. I think I’m just jealous really! :)
I literally just read this and got up and cleaned 2 fans in my house in like 8 minutes! Thanks to this method, I’ll actually stop putting off cleaning my fans since it’s not near the pain in the butt that it used to be. THANKS SO MUCH!!
Who knew cleaning could be so much fun! Thanks for the “secret”! ;)
I have been cleaning all day just stopped for a few minutes to check out Pinterest and there was my answer to cleaning them ceiling fans (something that I hate to do) but I am going to do them now. Just wish I had known this quite a few years back. Thanks so much for sharing.
haha….ain’t Pinterest grand? Glad you found the answer you were looking for. Now back to work! ;-)
I leave my fans running too…what people can’t see won’t disturb them! Now, I don’t really have an excuse NOT to clean the filthy things. Shhh! I’m not telling the hubby…so I can do this, then have him bring dinner home because I’m just too wiped out to cook, Ha!
I’ve read this before, but had forgotten. Great reminder, thanks!
Brillant idea!
Hi Jillee,
I must say I love your personality and I love your tips so much! We just bought a beautiful home and I need as many ways possible to save money keeping it clean. I’ve been reading and jotting ingredients down for several hours already (shhhh don’t tell my boss!) ;)
Thank you so much for sharing your tips and the results, just love it! =D
THANK YOU! I hate cleaning my fans, and my ceiling fans are so dirty that I keep putting it off. So first thing in the morning while the vampires in my house are still sleeping, ( my teens ) I going to this.
Well I guess I no longer have an excuse for not cleaning my filthy fans either !!!! Thanks this is a really great, and EASY idea ;)
Wow… I was going to clean my fan today but didn’t have any paper towels. (It was going to be such a dirty job… didn’t want to use up all my cleaning towels. and I knew that dust and dirt was going to fly!) Now, I just will use my old pillowcases…. who woulda’ thunk?
Good idea! I just cleaned mine yesterday using the hose with the brush attachmenton my vacuum. It worked great (no dust flying everywhere!) but this would be soo much faster! Good to know for next time I venture up to the fans!
Thank you so much. Having a child with asthma has always made me put this job off as long as I can. Now I want have to worry about the dust falling into the air again to cause breathing problems.
What about the fan in the kitchen. Mine always has some grease in the blades. The dust stick to it. What do you think would make it easier to clean?
Maybe a pillowcase soaked in vinegar and then squeezed out would do the trick? :)
On my way to try this!
I will have to give this try… will still require more than a stepstool to get at them though. I’m not that tall to reach with the stepstool, hope I can get at them with the 3 step stepladder.
For the greasy/dirty blades, after you get the dust off of them, use a Magic Eraser. Works great!
Great idea! Most of my fans are accessible on a step-stool… but there is one REALLY high up one in my living room ceiling… I don’t know how to reach it. It is by far the dirtiest (since it’s so hard to reach), and currently I’m afraid to turn it on so the dust doesn’t go spewing all around my house…. ??? would love ideas on this (besides hauling in a very tall ladder…)
Now that summer’s over and our ceiling fans have been turned off, we can see the embarrassing dust that catches on the blades. (everyone has dust – no need to be embarrassed!) I’m going to have to try this idea after I search for a pillowcase that I don’t mind filling with dust. Let’s face it, even if it does get shaken out and put through the wash, I still don’t want that near my face after I’ve dusted four ceiling fans with it. This is a great idea – it sure beats using a dust rag and having chunks of dust fall on me. :)
What a brilliant idea! I wish I’d read this a few weeks ago before sending my husband up a ladder to clean our ceiling fan. Poor guy came down covered in dust bunnies.
Will be doing this when I clean up next week! Great idea, Jill. You’ve got the bestest smarticles on the block!
My plan is to use my son’s old flannel pillow case so the fabric has a little extra texture to clean with than a cotton pillowcase & will be something for some dryer sheets to stick to. Since I don’t use them in the dryer this will be perfect! I’ve also heard that you can rub dryer sheets over your blinds to help repel dust when you clean them. =)
Does this mean that I STILL have to get out the step stool? :>)
Another tip:
Wax the blades with car wax to prevent dust from sticking.
Do you have any tricks for cleaning the bathroom fan vent?
Jillie This is really great, but then again….I think you are a pretty great lady. You certainly are an over comer.
A pleasure all around. Just following you around!
We – and by we I mean my husband – used this idea this weekend. He was getting ready to clean the fans and I told him about this idea. He kind of laughed but tried it anyway. WOW! The fans were clean in no time at all and there wasn’t dust flying everywhere. Hint: Before he started he turned the pillowcase inside out and sprayed it with furniture polish. Then he turned it right-side out and Wah-La! Clean fans.
Terrific Cleaning Tip I always put off cleaning the fans!!!A little furniture polish helps keep the dust away longer as well .
i am so going to do this..its gonna save my bedsheets, my face and hands from getting dirty like the blads.. ;-)
I use the attachment on my vacuum…this sounds good too. Will give it a try
Awesome, but how do you get the pillow there and how do you wipe it? sorry, I feel dumb, but I don’t get it yet… can you explain it please? Again, don’t judge people, I already feel dumb ;)
Don’t feel dumb maria :) I just used a ladder so that I could reach the fan blades. Then you wrap the pillowcase around the blade and use the inside of the case to wipe the blade. That way all of the dirt gets trapped inside.
Who in their right mind lets their ceiling fans get that bad?? Just sayin…
You know Tracey, sometimes things just get dirty and you don’t have the time to clean them ;)
I am INSPIRED!! I’m psyched to try this…
OMGosh…. Thank you so much for this idea… I also cleaned ceiling around the fan, the metal parts of the fan and in/outside of the bowl for the light… Even my light shines brighter now… Cleaned 3 of the 4 fans in my house, only because fan number 4 is in the spare room and there is to much clutter of my moms in the way, but as soon as she cleans it out I will get it.
This is for sure a FAN-tastic idea…..
Thnx for sharing ur secret ;-)
im laughing tht many thinks as of me. I too say it to myself tht nobody notice it if I turn it ON (its just a way out to satisfy ur laziness …..lol)
I ve cleaned my 3 fans few weeks bck but 1 is still left :-) yea-yea. I ll try it today. Thank God ive some extra pillow cases in hand :-D